Sabres sign goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to entry level contract

Finnish goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres' second-round pick in last year's draft, has signed a three-year, entry level contract, the team announced.

Luukkonen is likely at least two to three years away from being in the NHL and could remain in Finland next year and delay the start of his entry-level contract.

He spent most of last season with Leki (Mestis) of Finland’s second division with an 11-11-2 record in 24 games. His save percentage of .909 was seventh in the league. He also spent time in Buffalo last winter as part of the Finnish team in the World Junior Championship.

Rated the No. 1 European goaltender available in the 2017 draft, he was selected by the Sabres at No. 54 overall. He spent the 2016-17 season with HPK (Finland Jr.), leading the team to a title with the best goals-against average in the regular season (1.78) and the playoffs (2.01).